Jana the Secret Weapon?

[BlueSkyGLW]

Everyone in and around the UConn WBB team make it unanimous: wait until you see Jana play!

El Alfy can be UConn's secret weapon

STORRS - It's not often that the UConn women's basketball team sneaks up on opponents, but the Huskies may have a surprise this season that other teams are just not quite prepared to face in 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman center Jana El Alfy. The only glimpses that anyone outside of the program has s

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In a casual conversation with media after the UConn Coaches Road Show, Geno Auriemma smiled and said everyone is going to love watching El Alfy, because she plays with aggression, attitude and talent with a very strong body_

Certainly her teammates have enjoyed what they have seen so far.

“She is a dog,” KK Arnold said Thursday. “She will be the first aggressor. I am super excited, because the pick-and-roll is going to be super lethal this year with her and Ice (Brady) on the court. It is going to be super exciting to have her back out there.
“She is really aggressive rebounding. She never lets a loose ball through. Some plays she thinks she should get the rebound she really gets on herself. That is kind of like the mentality you want everybody to have. She is showing that.”

El Alfy said she can’t wait to show everyone else just how good she can be, because it has been a long time coming. She arrived on campus for the second semester of the 2022-23 season as the Huskies’ first player ever from Egypt.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think the secret is out.

 

[cferraro04]

I think the secret is out.

I'm with you Bone Dog...I believe the other teams know that we have something...they see the same films everyone else does...however, I think the secret sauce is just how well she will play within Geno's system and just how well she will jive with her team mates. How could we UConn fans not be excited?

 

[huskeynut]

I also think the word is out!!

Come November teams will be wondering how to defend Jana and the rest of the team. I can't wait for October and then November.

 

[Staven]

I was so disappointed when she got hurt but now that she is healthy and is practicing hard I can't wait to see her in real game action.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

From her media availability remarks about being in practice but restricted I got the idea she was not scrimmaging, and I guess you can rebound without scrimmaging, but rebounding I would think would be about the last thing you'd be allowed. Anyway, what came through loud and clear in the interview was she is heartily sick of not playing and so it will be no surprise when she charges out on the court and single handedly destroys the Big East!

 

[DEpup]

I'm not sure the weapon is a secret at all. She's the key to #12 in my opinion with her size.

 

[JellyBean]

I am liking what I am hearing and seeing (old YouTube clips) about Jana. Her size, the handles, footwork, the aggressive mindset, and ability to play outside and inside, again old YouTube clips, Jana just might be that difference maker out there on the court. The key is going to be how she is officiated out there on the court, which is never consistent with these refs. But if Jana can avoid foul trouble while being aggressive offensively and defensively. We gone be a problem for other teams.

 

[hoophuskee]

I am liking what I am hearing and seeing (old YouTube clips) about Jana. Her size, the handles, footwork, the aggressive mindset, and ability to play outside and inside, again old YouTube clips, Jana just might be that difference maker out there on the court. The key is going to be how she is officiated out there on the court, which is never consistent with these refs. But if Jana can avoid foul trouble while being aggressive offensively and defensively. We gone be a problem for other teams.

The potential Achilles heel for this team is going to be their youth in the frontcourt. I don’t know what Aubrey will be when she comes back. But that aside—we have 3 capable Power Forwards/Centers in Sarah, Ice, and Jana. Thow in Ayanna if we want. If one or two them are “above” the others by a pretty significant amount – then that 1 or maybe 2nd player in tight NCAA games can’t afford to be off the floor for too long.

But we’ve seen over-zealous refs before like with Iowa in which the player (the senior) from Iowa acted like she got blasted with a cannon. And we’ve seen in the past teams like Notre Dame act as though they are looking for a Golden Globes Award as they collapse to the floor looking for the call. You can’t tell me that there is potential in some of those tight games that some experienced junior/seniors/ 5th year seniors from other high quality teams won’t look for their own Emmy Award Nomination. Their acting skills would comepting against a very inexperienced frontcourt with a decent shot of being rewarded with some crucially-timed calls that actually should not be made.

 

[Alydar]

I expect that El Alfy will pick up a lot fouls simply because she is aggressive and inexperienced. But I think Geno will want her to stay aggressive so she will limit her own minutes at first.

In any case there should be a lot of front court options. It sounds funny writing that.

 

[Bone Dog]

When I heard Jana say she was at 80% it didn’t seem like she meant she might not be ready to play in November. She seemed to be describing how she felt at this moment.

 

[JellyBean]

Just watched a few games of how UConn utilized Tina Charles and Stef Dolson. I am hoping that we utilize Jana more like Tina Charles than Dolson, but Jana has the versatility to play like Dolson and Tina. What a nice problem to have. Jana is going to be special.

 

[MilfordHusky]

In today's interview, Geno said that Jana was disappointed when she arrived in early 2023 that she was not as good as the starters--those starters were the #16 draft pick last year and #6 draft pick this year. She really wants to be good.

 

[yhun89]

In today's interview, Geno said that Jana was disappointed when she arrived in early 2023 that she was not as good as the starters--those starters were the #16 draft pick last year and #6 draft pick this year. She really wants to be good.

Meeting the standard of Aaliyah Edwards once you arrive to campus would be difficult for any upcoming forward tbh. She’s the solid rock of the team and she’s playing out of position all year too.

I assume Jana has improved greatly since then based on other Geno articles/interviews earlier this year

 

[huskeynut]

When I heard Jana say she was at 80% it didn’t seem like she meant she might not be ready to play in November. She seemed to be describing how she felt at this moment.

When coming off a major injury, if a player says they are 80% we automatically assume they are referring to their physical play. I think in Jana's case, she may be referring to her play on the court - passing, shooting, foot work, rebounding and defense. She was away from that aspect for almost a year. Takes time to get all that back.

 

[CL82]

When coming off a major injury, if a player says they are 80% we automatically assume they are referring to their physical play. I think in Jana's case, she may be referring to her play on the court - passing, shooting, foot work, rebounding and defense. She was away from that aspect for almost a year. Takes time to get all that back.

And it takes time to trust that the injury is healed so that the player can go 100% on it. I don't think you can mentally make that commitment until after you've played it in a real game.

 

[GenoWept]

I remember last summer before Jana got injured that he said he was thought Jana would have been the overall #1 recruit in the 2023 recruiting class if she had been from the U.S. To me, that says a lot about what Geno thinks about her abilities. I really think that people might have forgot that we have her or are expecting her to be as good as she is. I think a large Jana is going to play a huge part in our success the next 4 years.

 

[cgshuskie]

Is Jana, at 6'5', as big as Aliyah Boston and bigger than Aja Wilson? Just wondering what we're looking at! If she is a s big or bigger than Boston and Wilson, I think her mobility; from what I've seen of her play in FIBA, is greater than theirs........

 

[hoophuskee]

I remember last summer before Jana got injured that he said he was thought Jana would have been the overall #1 recruit in the 2023 recruiting class if she had been from the U.S. To me, that says a lot about what Geno thinks about her abilities. I really think that people might have forgot that we have her or are expecting her to be as good as she is. I think a large Jana is going to play a huge part in our success the next 4 years.

If Geno didn't exaggerate then UCONN's ceiling is higher than team. However, Geno has been known to exaggerate pre-season. --Or other times - just like any nomal coach that is human (ie not perfect) he is wrong or in some manner among other things such as a player could never resolve a weakness that is high impact. In some cases that is not predictable.

I mean if this were true - let's take a step back and think what kind of an amazing show they could put on. I say "show" beucase if Azzi is back to easrly Sophomore form, and Sarah and Jana are anything near what the elite freshemn form other team's were last year, for example look at how great Juju was- then UCONN would have vs nearly every team at least 4 of the top 5 players on the floor significantly better vs nearly every opponent (never mind players like KK or Ahlynn or Chen whihc only adds). That's a show. The possiblities blow the mind.

I'm more skeptcial though - I lean toward a Geno exxaggeration which does not mean I don't beleive she won't be "good." . But if it isn't an exaggeration-- just wow.

 

[Alydar]

Just watched a few games of how UConn utilized Tina Charles and Stef Dolson. I am hoping that we utilize Jana more like Tina Charles than Dolson, but Jana has the versatility to play like Dolson and Tina. What a nice problem to have. Jana is going to be special.

I agree. I also think that her "enthusiasm" will foul her out of a game here and there. The nice thing is that Geno can afford having her in foul trouble so he'll let her stay aggressive for a while. I think we will see some great plays though.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

Amusing to see some of us worry about her foul troubles, given the acknowledged aggressiveness by both coach and teammates....

Didn't we see someone from Croatia play with a different culture on fouls and then successfully transition to someone able to avoid fouling when she wanted but remain aggressive? I am sure the coaching staff are working on that right now and Jana did have time with Nika in practice and, I am sure, conversations about aggressive play and fouling.

She's be calibrating early in the season to find the boundaries.....against better teams who happen to be in UConn's out-of-conference schedule.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/article/jana-el-alfy-achilles-huskies-19514952.php

Why phone call from UConn great Breanna Stewart 'meant everything' to injured Husky Jana El Alfy​

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[LwrcasefaN]

He has that Cheshire Cat grin when he mentions her. She's intense and I like that.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Didn't we see someone from Croatia play with a different culture on fouls and then successfully transition to someone able to avoid fouling when she wanted but remain aggressive?

That transition took a while. Luckily, Jana isn't a guard and isn't known for aggressive defensive attempts like Nika.